St. Mary's Committee Spotlight: Outreach

“You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart.” Matthew 10:7-14

Mission Statement

St.Mary's parishioners are engaged with the world and find many ways in their daily lives to reach out to those in need. A large percentage of our total operating budget is designated to Outreach. The Outreach Committee is made up of parishioners who look for ways for the parish as a whole to work on issues and projects that reflect our parish's commitment to help others in our communities and the world beyond. To accomplish those goals, the Outreach Committee:

Identifies volunteer opportunities and provides financial grants to local organizations especially in the areas of families affected by poverty and people confronting crisis and need.

Learns about, discusses and participates in events related to current local and global issues of suffering, poverty and social justice.

Provides relevant information on these issues to the congregation

The Committee is seeking additional members and needs your help to ensure our outreach budget is put to good use! If you are interested, please email the committee Chair Person. Outreach offers many ‘hands-on, sweat-equity’ opportunities for members to give their Time and Talents to the benefit of others. Some examples are:

Norwescap:

In 2013, the Outreach Committee of St. Mary's presented a $25,000 Grant to NORWESCAP Newton Head Start/Early Head Start. The grant was used toward the construction of a state of the art and fully accessible Musical Playground.

Sparta Ecumenical Food Pantry

Every week throughout the year, the Outreach Committee welcomes contributions of specified non-perishable, non-breakable food items, which we give to our local food pantry located at Sparta Presbyterian Church. Please place the food items in the baskets beneath the Outreach table in the Narthex.

Family Promise

St. Mary's is a long-time supporter of Family Promise (formerly theInterfaith Hospitality Network program), which brings shelter, meals, and support services to families without homes. Several times a year St. Mary's hosts IHN families for a week.